Anutin keeps quiet on post-election partners

On December 22, 2025, Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, declined to say whether he would prefer to join hands after the election with Pheu Thai or the People’s Party.

Asked which party he would most like to team up with, Anutin pushed back on the wording, asking why it had to be framed as “joining hands” with one side or another. He said anyone who helps deliver benefits for the country should be able to work together, adding that Thais should prioritise uniity at a time when the country is facing tensions with a neighbour. Politics, he said, should be left to run through its proper mechanisms.

He said coalition decisions are best discussed after the election. If politicians start making promises in advance and later cannot deliver, he warned, they could end up “swallowing their words”, creating unnecessary complications. On matters beyond his control, he added, he preferred not to offer an opinion.

Commenting on remarks by Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, who said that if Bhumjaithai forms the government the People’s Party is ready to serve as the opposition, Anutin replied that he was able to become prime minister because of “your votes”.

When asked about Natthaphong’s additional comment that the People’s Party might not be able to work with Bhumjaithai because of differences in policy, Anutin said Bhumjaithai is focused on earning public trust and entering the election fully prepared, with policies that are beneficial to the country and the people.

Poll ranking and PM-candidate speculation

As several opinion polls have placed Bhumjaithai in third position, Anutin thanked the public, saying the party had risen “from the bottom” to third place.

Asked whether the party’s December 24 meeting and policy announcement would include the unveiling of three prime ministerial candidates, Anutin laughed and said only that people “won’t be disappointed”.

Pressed on whether he had successfully recruited Suphajee Suthumpun, the Commerce Minister, and Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, to be Bhumjaithai’s prime ministerial candidates, Anutin replied only that they were working together. When asked again whether the two had accepted, he repeated: “We’ll keep working together.”

Border provinces and election logistics

Asked whether campaigning would face obstacles in seven provinces along the Thai–Cambodian border, Anutin said he believed each candidate was already prepared in their respective areas. The border situation, he said, is a separate matter.

He added that setting the election date falls under the authority of the Election Commission (EC), as stipulated in the constitution, and that the government is following the legal provisions. As for how the situation will develop, he said all sides should try to bring the dispute and any actions related to the conflict with a neighbouring country to a conclusion as quickly as possible.

When asked whether the government and the EC would need to consult if the conflict remains unresolved when the time comes, Anutin said discussions would be inevitable and that the government would cooperate with the EC in every case.

Asked whether he would join election debates, Anutin said he had not thought about it yet.

“Signals” from party materials

At the end of the interview, reporters showed Anutin a Bhumjaithai promotional image and asked whether its layout was a clear signal that the party’s prime ministerial candidates would include Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Ekniti Nitithanprapas.

Anutin immediately dismissed the suggestion, saying: “P’Tam is right here.”